


A Dragon's Tale

by Stowe15



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Racing, Competition, Dragons, F/F, Human, Magic, POV First Person, Slow Build, This will get dark, and then light again?, probably going to disappoint, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:02:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21954085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stowe15/pseuds/Stowe15
Summary: Ella, a Silver Dragon just wants to explore life in the area boarding her clan's Sanctuary in northern Iceland, but a group of Hunters have different plans for her.Amber is youngest of the three Huxley sisters, trying to turn around her dwindling family reputation by competiting for Great Britain in the dangerous League of Dragon Racing. Only problem is she doesn't have a Dragon, or know how to fly one, but she does have powerful magic and lot's of spunk.Can Amber achieve her goals? Will Ella find what she's looking for? Is the small English village of Bibury ready for what's to come?
Relationships: Original D&D Character(s)/Original D&D Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Ella Versus the Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> This is very much an AU I'm putting together as I go along. It's been inspired a lot by other stories I've read here and in part by previous D&D campaigns I've run.
> 
> There are going to be a lot of differences between this and traditional D&D Dragons but you'll either accept it or you won't, regardless I'll try and explain them when I can.
> 
> When referring to minimum age for drinking, driving, et cetera I am going to be using the British laws, please keep that that in mind.
> 
> Chapter 1 was edited to make it flow a bit better 05/01/2019.

“Ella!” a voice booms from outside my resting spot, one of a few small caves near the top of the mountain. “Hunters were spotted a few miles away, we need to get back to the sanctuary!” Ezzsy finishes as he lands on the cliffside with only his silver head visible from my position curled up on the floor, my head rested on my long tail.

Ezzsy is the only other surviving member of my clutch, seeing him poking out reminds me of when he and I first joined forces. We originally hatched in a clutch of thirteen Dragons but five had died before getting the chance to live, another four were eaten by the end of the first night in a mad scramble for dominance. This left myself, Ezzsy and 2 others to duke it out over the limited food supply. But enough of the past, the news of Hunters this far from Human civilisation is enough to dispel the last vestiges of sleep from my system. Glancing around me I notice something missing.

“Ezzsy, where is Nina?” I ask with a note of panic in my voice.

Nina is the last of my clutch to have made it through the first trail of life. A sweet, caring Dragon that I knew from the moment I first saw her, I was going to do everything in my power to shelter from the dangers of this world.

“I haven’t seen her since we left.” He slowly says before the reality of the situation catches up with him. “I thought you said she was staying behind?” Panic now noticeable in his tone.

“She was lonely-” I start trying to explain. Nina was, she isn’t aware just how many other Dragons like her. 

“This is why the Elders don’t approve of you, Ella” 

It’s true, to a certain extent, the Elder council seems to believe I am the cause of any mischief in the Sanctuary. I've always been of the opinion that trouble came to me and not me that sought it out. The exception being the incident of the rampaging elk in my second decade. After all, who knew those poor creatures didn't like to fly?

“I know” I say, quickly cutting in before he can build up steam. “Now is not the time for another lecture. You warn the Elder’s and I’ll find Nina before the Hunters arrive.” I add while stretching out my wings in preparation to fly. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back before they notice she’s gone.”

Ezzsy gives me a cautious nod before pushing off and flying north, towards safety. I instead bank south-east from the cave, knowing that if Nina were to have wandered off anywhere it would be the grove a few miles away.

The grove is one of her favorite places to visit. I showed it to her as a reward for learning how to fly properly over two decades ago. It’s a large clearing with a pond in the middle surrounded by rowan trees and it contains some of the nicest flowers in the area. She always likes to visit the area when it’s our rotation to leave the Sanctuary.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

“Nina, we have to leave now!” I tell her, landing in the grove a few meters from her.

Nina is a small Dragon for her age and with a wing span of just over four meters she struggles to fly fast, instead preferring to glide as much as possible. That said, her scales are the nicest shade of silver I’ve seen, often reflecting the light in dazzling displays.

“Ella, look there’s some objects on the tree.” She replies, pointing to a small sphere poking out the bark with a tiny flashing red light. “What do you think it is?”

“I’m not sure, but we can come back another time and investigate. For now hurry.”

She reluctantly takes off and I spare a last glance around, noticing more of these strange objects on other trees.

“Ella?” Nina asks “What’s that strange whirring noise?”

Before I have time to think of a reply, three metal cubes fly out of the tree line towards us. Each no more than a meter or so big with spinning blades on them making the whirring noise that Nina pointed out. They quickly start gaining us on as Nina isn’t able to out fly them. I drop back behind her just as one of them launches a blot of fire narrowly missing my left wing.

“Nina! We can’t lead these things back to the Sanctuary! Crash through the ice on top of the lake and hide in one of the tunnels below. I’ll get rid of these things and come find you.” I yell at her, trying to sound confident in my hastley devised plan.

“But-“ Nine tries to start.

I quickly cut her with a glare and remind her that she promised to listen to me if I snuck her out.

“- fine, but you better be careful.” She adds as she banks off towards the lake.

One of the flying cubes tries to pass under me and follow her but I manage to lash out with my tail, sending in hurtling towards the ground below.

With Nina now safely out of the way I can utilise my near seven meter wingspan to try and out fly these metal cubes. I decide to start with a sharp turn, heading back the way we just came from to make sure that Nina will get away. 

To my dismay the metal cubes seem to handle the turn without issue and only drop back another couple of meters before firing more beams of fire at me.

The first of which I dodge by flying under it, unfortunately that put me right in the path of the second beam which grazes along the scales protecting my stomachs, instantly making me feel queasy.

Deciding that I’d rather not spend all day dodging beams of fire I turn my head around and breathe a ray of frost at the metal cube that hit me. Just as I expect it to hit, my ray of frost is melted by another fire beam from the cube, causing me bank sharply to the right in order to avoid it and immediately to the left as the other cube tries to hit me.

It continues this way for another few minutes with the metal cubes taking turns to shoot beams of fire at me while I dodge out of their out of their path. With each attack, I was growing slower and slower as the nauseous feeling seemed to consume me.

It takes me far longer than I’d ever admit to realise the metal cubes had stopped trying to hit me, instead using their beams of fire to herd me towards the edge of the forest where it meets a large plain.

I try to remember everything I know about the area we’re heading towards. There’s very few clearings in the forest so I can’t easily land and even I did the trees are too close together to quickly navigate with my size. The plains have a couple of small lakes but they don’t go anywhere - unlike the lake I sent Nina to, that has underwater tunnels to the nearby mountain where she can hide - if I hid in a lake I’d just be giving the Hunters time to catch up. I could try and get to the crevasse but I don’t know it well enough and my size would put me at a disadvantage. So I have to destroy the metal cubes.

With only a few miles of forest left I start slowing down, hoping to let the metal cubes get closer to my tail but they match my speed and shoot more beams of fire.

In order to avoid these I go as fast as I possibly can but they once again manage to match my speed. There’s only a mile or so to go before the plains now and both metal cubes are shooting at the same time, both garnering my entire attention.

Far too late I notice the sound of Hunters up ahead. As I break over the trees a large metal cube on the ground with a long tube sticking out of it, pointing straight at me fires a large net. I try to roll to the left but there isn’t enough time before it hits me, snagging my wings in the gaps and causing me to spin over the Humans heads before crashing with a loud thud into the ground half a mile past them.

For a brief moment I’m aware of the pain the landing caused and the excited yells from the humans just before everything goes black and I feel weightless.


	2. Ella Versus A New Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my friend Aka for beta reading this and fixing my errors.

I woke as I found myself being lifted up and swung gently side to side, a loud beeping noise drowning the hunters chatter. The only piece of information I manage to pay attention to is my weight, 0.9 Tonnes, how rude of them.

Once they’re happy enough with the result, they start lowering the net I’m resting within into some sort of large container. The net and cables have to be made of adamantine to support me with such ease. Deciding to make a note of this for later reference, as I’ll need all the information possible to get my revenge against these thieves.

I wait for them to put a lid on the container before moving and taking note of my injuries. Thankfully it’s mostly bruising from hitting the ground at speed. I hear them locking the lid down but know I don’t have anywhere near enough energy to fight at the moment so I try and get comfortable in the cold, dark, metal box trying to recollect all that I have learnt about the humans.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

_ Resting upon the crest of the mountain, I turn to look at my mentor, Peta - an ancient dragon with over 90 decades of experience to impart. She seems to take a few moments to compose herself before starting today’s lesson. _

_ “Believe it or not, a long time ago, when I was still young, Dragons and Humans lived in peace and harmony together. Back then most Humans weren’t able to dream of using magic. They relied on us for heavy lifting and long distance travel, we in turn received companionship, education and shelters from them. That was an easier time, where Dragons didn’t have to fear every noise.” She begins in a wistful tone. _

_ “I don’t understand, what changed to give us this-” I gesture to the empty mountains around us “-exile?” _

_ “I’m getting there young one, you mustn’t rush into things.” She lays her head down looking in the direction of the nearest Human settlement, far off in the distance. “They - the Humans - have a thirst for discovery, this need to find answers to the questions they just think of. It’s the main difference between our two races really, well apart from the physical characteristics. Where we live for far too long, taking in the world around us in small increments, they don’t have this luxury. Their lives are generally over within a century.” _

_ “But what about Harold?” I ask her. Harold is Peta’s mate, a Human who has managed to live for 30 decades with Peta. _

_ “That’s another lesson altogether. I’ll tell you about it when you reach adulthood.” She adds with a chuckle. “Now, may I return to today's lesson or are you going to keep trying to sidetrack us?” _

_ “Sorry.” I sheepishly replied, “I won’t ask anymore questions today.” _

_ “There’s nothing wrong with asking questions, dear. They help us clarify what we think we know and allow us to make new judgements. The only problem is when a question runs into another topic.” Peta explains. “As this can lead to the original discussion being forgotten and vital information lost that may influence your conclusion. _

_ “Now back to Dragon-Human history. In the early years it was common for some Dragons to grant part of their magic to the Humans who deserved it. For a few hundred years this was widely appreciated by the Humans, but as with anything of value, if you give it to some and not others then there will always be discontent. _

_ “This discontent festered over time before spreading to the point some Humans turned to the Abyss, seeking the knowledge to unlock their magical potential. Demons - as I’m sure you know - don’t do anything for the sake of it and love forwarding their own agenda. The corrupted magic these first Humans received, forced upon them transformations to their soul that clearly showed where the new power came from. _

_ “Feeling as though they were tricked and with no way of lashing back against the far superior Demons, these Humans - who later referred to themselves as Tieflings - began construction of a weapon to punish Dragonkind for letting them turn to Demons in the first place. _

_ “The weapon was built in secret taking half a decade to complete. It took the shape of a large Warhorn. Once sounded it acted like a beacon to draw unsuspecting Dragons towards it, where they could be ambushed. _

_ “This led to what is now referred to as the Great Cull. Where a large portion of dragonkind were killed or forced to retreat to the Sanctuaries we have now. Those few dragons that didn’t escape and weren’t killed, were used for sport. What’s known today as Dragon Racing originally started as a celebration show.” _

_ “Why do the Elders say that dragons featuring in Dragon Racing aren’t real dragons?” I ask her, once she finishes her lecture. _

_ “That’s something you weren’t meant to have heard. I suppose I should answer your question, if only so you don’t get trouble asking someone else.” Peta seems to take a few moments thinking over her next sentence before replying “It isn’t the dragons fault. They’ve been bred and raised by Humans for one purpose, Dragon Racing. They were never given a proper dragon education, they’ve never known what it’s like to be part of a clan. I’d be surprised at this point if any of them can speak Draconic, let alone hunt efficiently.” _

_ “Ok. Last question, does that make all humans bad?” I ask. _

_ “No, I don’t think all Humans are bad. I think the majority of them are bad news, but a larger majority are just too afraid to think differently. However, I believe there are some who have opened their hearts to dragons again. _

_ “But enough mentoring for one day. Let me show you something on the way back.” Peta finishes. Little did I know that she was going to show me the grove I would later take Nina to. _

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

I’m not sure how long I’ve travelled inside the metal box, the ground has gone from smooth to bumpy to wobbly and then back to bumpy. There’ve been no opportunity for me to catch a glimpse of where I am now, or where I'm going to but thankfully my bruising has healed.

With nothing but my hunger and loneliness to keep me company I can’t stop my thoughts drifting back to Nina and the pursuit. Did she manage to get back to the Sanctuary safely? Would she have told them what happened? How would they have reacted to that news? Lock the Sanctuary down so nobody can leave or did they try to look for me? The strange objects in the trees must have somehow notified the Hunters that Nina and I were in the grove, it's the only reason those metal cubes could have found us so quickly.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

Towards the end of my journey in the metal box I come to the conclusion that even if I did escape there wasn’t any chance I could find my back to the Sanctuary. Judging by the state of my injuries we must have travelled for at least four days, maybe even five depending on how long I slept.

Due to this I didn’t fight the Humans when they entered the metal box, nor when they proceeded to stick an Adamantine band over my jaws and some strange tube along half my neck. I instead choose to lay on the floor of the metal box thinking of home. 

“Right lads, the Dragon is registered as Silver#251. We’ll try and sell it tomorrow, lock it up again for now.” A large man, standing six foot one inch tall, with balding black hair and a scraggy beard announced.

This sparked action from the other Humans milling about and they started sealing up the metal box again, under the watchful eyes of the large man. The only glimpse of the outside world I saw was some large metal constructs bobbing up and down in the water.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

_ The snow fall is heavy enough to render most creatures near blind but as a silver dragon this is my area of expertise. Scanning left and right I search for any signs of movement that may give away my prey’s location. _

_ There! _

_ Behind the large rowan tree, a branch was snapped underfoot. I quickly evaluate the area and decide I can loop round and appear from behind without giving myself away. _

_ This is almost too easy. _

_ Ten meters away from my prey and I figure that one strong beat of wings should have me on top of them before they can react. I just need to time it with their next peek around the tree. _

_ Three, I shift my weight onto my hindlegs. _

_ Two, I take a deep breath. _

_ One, I raise my wings. _

_ Now, with the strongest push I can muster in the situation I fly towards them, claws out and ready to find purchase. _

_ Thump. I hit my target with such force we go rolling over each other for a few moments before I land on top, quickly putting my weight down to ensure victory is mine. _

_ “Ella! Why do you always have to tackle me?” Nina whines from below me, conceding the round and with it, the game. I am - once again - victorious in the game of Hide and Seek. _

"Nina?" I whisper, glancing around only to see the same interior of the box. Unfortunately, it had all been a dream, serving only to remind me of what will no longer be. As I wonder about the box, I feel it move once more before the sides fall away.

I’m left laying in the Adamantine net with the remnants of the metal box collapsed around me. I notice that I’m alone, the large man from last night is also on the elevated floor, with a cane and a top hat in his hands matching the black suit he’s wearing. More Human seem to be seated below and around the pedestal we’re on, talking amongst themselves as if this was an everyday occurrence for them. Mr Top Hat takes a moment to glance around, as his gaze lands on me he smirks before beginning his speech.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a special treat for you all today.” He pauses to let their attention focus.


	3. Ella Versus Amber - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Amber's point of view in 3rd person. Not sure what I think about the last third but I'ver got no better ideas.

Amber walked dejectedly through Bristol Dragon Market, avoiding puddles from the earlier rain. It was surprisingly warm given that it was New Year's Eve with the temperature around 11 degrees Celsius. This was supposed to have been the second stage of her master plan completed, but instead she had been outbid on all the dragons she wanted. She even tried bidding for old dragons, past their racing prime, in the hope she’d not leave empty handed but even that backfired, by making her look clueless.

She was an adult now, having graduated from the esteemed Clexarths Academy in Cambridge a full year ahead of schedule. Amber wore her long, brown hair up in a twisted bun as it made her look more mature than 19 years old, according to her sisters at least. She paired this with some slim, black jeans, a white button up shirt under a black leather jacket and boots with a small heel on them. As always she wears her mother’s bracelet around her left wrist, a solid, thin, rose gold band decorated with a flowing, elegant script.

As Amber waited for her sisters to finish their shopping trip in town she decided to check out the last auction of the day, something she could only dream of affording, a young silver dragon.

In the Dragon Racing world, silver dragons were considered the rarest - due to their low heat tolerance they would often die of Heat Stroke in their eggs - and alongside Red Dragons were thought to have the best potential. Their biggest strength was the deadly mix of speed and precision they offered. Whereas their biggest weakness was heat. Anything above 30 degrees Celsius and they would start getting sluggish, above 40 degrees Celsius would leave them queasy and above 60 degrees Celsius could render them comatose.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a special treat for you all today.” Some prat in a three piece black suit, complete with a top hat and cane bellowed out from the stage.

She was almost tempted to keep walking but with nothing better to do for the next ten minutes she took the first available seat.

“This here dragon-” He continued on, trying to emphasise every other word. “-was captured here, in Western Europe, with no breeding mark! Meaning this is a wild dragon!” He announced with pride.

The audience near Amber seemed to laugh at this statement. There are no more wild dragons in Western Europe, hardly any in Europe at all, a small clan of Copper Dragons live in the Russian wilderness. As a couple of the more intoxicated audience members started making fun of the auctioneer Amber took a closer look at the dragon. It had a metal band over it’s jaws and a large collar secured tightly around its neck, the dragon hadn’t moved from its position curled in on itself making it very hard to see how big it was and with the tail tucked under its wing and head she couldn’t make out the age either.

“This is just a bredject!” one of the audience members shouts. A bredject is a rejected offspring, most likely because it didn’t obtain the desired traits from it's selected parents, generally seen as completely useless; they tend to die within a few months and are often left as food for the rest of the clutch.

“No, I assure you this is the real deal.” The prat tries to dismiss the accusations. “Let’s start the bidding at 100 Platinum Pieces!” He adds in a hurry.

This proposition is met by silence at first before laughter from a few of the audience, Amber included.

“Fine, 75 Platinum Pieces?” He asks.

Amber takes a moment to look at the dragon in pity before she starts getting up, only to be met with a strangely intelligent stare from the dragon. She ponders if its aware of what’s going on.

“60 Platinum Pieces, anyone want to start this bidding off?” The auctioneer nervously asks, trying to garner some interest in his offering.

“I’ll give you 25 Gold for it!” A man wearing a white tracksuit in the front row of the audience jokes. She recognises Mr Moreau. A retired Dragon Rider who takes part in the odd show race to break up the monotony of retirement.

Amber takes another look at the dragon, still half seated, half standing to find it discreetly watching the audience with one eye. As she inspects it, the dragon meets her eye and Amber quickly shifts her attention back to the prat leading the auction.

“40 Platinum Pieces? It’s a bargain now!” The auctioneer sounds desperate this time.

Before Amber can second guess herself she stands up and tentatively announces her bid of 40 Platinum Pieces. This seems to stun most of the audience into silence, a woman near her looks over pity before saying “Amber darling, this is clearly a fake. Take your families money elsewhere.”

Amber looks over recognising Mrs Walters who owns the local farmers market. She shakes her head and repeats her bid of 40 Platinum with more confidence this time.

“Are there any other bids?” The auctioneer asks, although nobody is paying attention to him at the moment. All eyes are on Amber who stands in the back of the audience holding her breath, nervously playing with her mother’s bracelet. “Fine, going once?” He pauses for a few moments. “Going twice?” another pause, this time longer. “No other bids?” The final pause seems to stretch on for an eternity to Amber.

“Alright then, sold to the Huxley girl for 40 Platinum Pieces” He says, shaking his head in disbelief. “Arrange delivery with the clerk by the gate.” he says, storming off, after motioning for the shipping container to be reassembled around the seemingly still dragon. 

Amber stands there for another moment before she realises what just happened. She doesn't even care that the prat knew who she was. She bought a real, living Dragon - well, she's pretty sure it's real and it had an eye open, that must mean it’s alive - for half the base price she thought she would have to pay. With a very large grin and a spring in her step she heads to the gate. Telling herself ‘Stage Two - complete’.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

“Hi my name’s Amber Huxley. I’m here to pay for the lot number…” She starts, before realising she doesn’t actually remember. Quickly grabbing a catalogue off the counter she scans through it before continuing with “...AZ-52? The Silver Dragon.” She adds, only slightly flinching at the look of disapproval the clerk gives her. Presumably for forgetting what lot she bought. In her defense - she thinks - she didn’t sit down intending to bid.

“Very well Miss Huxley.” The clerk, a middle aged man with short hair, a tidy suit and a permanent frown stuck on his face says as he starts typing away at his terminal. “Just to confirm that it’ll be registered under Huxley Racing Group name and delivered there?”

“Actually…” Amber starts slowly, if she uses the family group then her sisters will also part own her dragon and can out vote her. “I need it registered under my own group, you’ll find it as ALH-Racing.” She tells the clerk. Her sisters might be annoyed but now they don’t have a say in what she does.

“Very well, we can have it delivered in 2 days time to your registered address or would you like it sent elsewhere?” He calmly asks, as if he was coordinating the delivery of a fridge.

“No, my registered address is great.” Amber replies before checking the time on her watch. “What else do I need to do?” She asks the clerk, aware that her sisters will be waiting in the car park for her and not wanting to keep them there too long.

“Just sign this document allowing us to withdraw the funds from your account and this one saying that you understand the risk of owning a dragon, that we take no responsibility for it’s training and if the dragon attacks you it isn’t the fault of Bristol Dragon Market or any of our partners.”

“How often does the last part happen?” She asks with a nervous chuckle, while scanning over the forms before signing them.

“Often enough that we introduced a waiver for it.” The clerk responds with no hint of emotion. He takes back the forms as soon as Amber lifts the pen from signing the last one. “You will receive the ownership papers tomorrow by courier and if you have any further questions then contact the number on them. On behalf of the Bristol Dragon Market we would like to thank you for doing business with us and hope to see you again. Have a pleasant day.” He finishes, managing to sound both sincere and condescending at the same time.

Not giving this too much thought, Amber regains the spring in her step and heads for the car park to meet her sisters. With the boring paperwork now done, she can once again bask in the glory of her surprisingly successful day at the market.

<\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/

“Over here Amber!” A loud voice calls out. Amber looks over,trying to spot one of her sisters, Alison - or Alie to her family - is shorter than Amber but her loud, outgoing personality tends to make up for that. Amber spots her leaning against a brand new, black Dynamics Volt 4S, with blonde hair falling down her back and a long, flowy, light blue tunic over some black leggings, Alison could have been a model instead of a veterinarian.

The Volt 4 is the latest in a long line of Magi-Tech vehicles to come out of the Dynamics factory in Coventry. It’s a stylish grand tourer built for long drives around the countryside of Europe, seating 4 inside with modest luxury. It’s a bit overkill for a 25 year old who lives with her 2 sisters in rural England, but Alison is very keen on fast cars and loves the chance to show one off.

Amber walks over and hugs her in greeting before noticing her oldest sister Ashleigh sitting in the front passenger side of the car, reading through a book, presumably the car’s ownership forms.

Ashleigh is 5ft 6” of pure authority, she has the same brown hair as Amber but always keeps it in a tight bun, her rectangle glasses perched high on her nose making her green eyes look bigger than they are. With her preference for pant suits - today’s a sharp, dark grey - she looks every bit like the head of the household.

“Hi Ash.” Amber says, putting her seatbelt on so Alie can drive them home. “Everything alright?”

“Hm? Yes, just making sure everything is in order.” Ashleigh replies, looking at Amber over her shoulder. “Did you find any wyvern eggs for the stables?”

The stables at Huxley Manor are currently the family's main source of income. Wyverns are bought while still in their eggs and trained to suit the needs of their future owners. Currently Amber is helping source 15 new Wyverns to be trained for the Post Office.

“Yeah, only 2 looked decent enough to meet your standards though. They should be delivered tomorrow. I was thinking we could take a trip to Bath or Gloucester next weekend to look for more.” Amber answers quickly, hoping the suggestion of future plans will be enough to plicate any disappointment at only buying two eggs.

“Gloucester it is then, we are not going to Bath again. Not after the greasy burger incident a few weeks ago.” Ashleigh insists. The incident she speaks of was when Amber was too busy flirting with the waitress and accidently dumped her burger in Ashleigh’s new designer handbag.

“So want to tell us why you’re so happy, Amber?” Alison pipes with, as she joins the M5 heading north.

“Oh, right.” Amber perks up in her seat and takes a deep breath. “So, remember how I was saying that I did some research during the week.” She pauses to wait for confirmation from the front seats. “Well, I bought a dragon!” She announces with pride.

“You did what!” Ashleigh exclaims in shock.

“I bought a dragon, a silver dragon. A real life silver dragon. At least I think it was alive, it didn’t actually move.” Amber adds the last part with a whisper. Reaching into her jacket pocket so pulls out the rolled up catalogue from the counter and passes it to Ashleigh. “Lot AZ-52.”

Ashleigh quickly flicks to the designated lot and starts reading the description. “Bidding starts at 100 Platnium Pieces.” She shouts. “Please tell me you didn’t spend our entire savings on this thing.”

“Actually I got it for 40 PP as nobody else was interested.” With pride returning to Amber’s voice.

“Great, I can make a profit on that and we can pretend like it never happened, when’s the paperwork arriving.” Ashleigh says, running through the pitch in her head.

“Tomorrow, not that you can do anything with it. I bought the dragon with my inheritance and registered it to my own private group. Only I can choose what to do with it. Or her, I think the advert said it was female.”

“You spent part of your inheritance on this thing!” Ashleigh is now visibly shaking in her seat. “What were you thinking?”

“I’m -” Amber starts to reply but is cut off.

“Clearly you weren’t! Let me guess, you're still having deluded fantasies about following in Mum’s footsteps. Well she died Amber! She died participating in this farce of a sport.”

“Ashleigh, don’t go there.” Alison warns from the driver's seat. “You know how much Amber loves that part of Mum’s life.”

“Why is it always me you lecture!” Amber shouts back. “Alie spends most weekends being punted around in her racing cars!” Amber quickly gives Alison a sympathetic look, not wanting to risk arguing with two sisters before continuing. “Mum always told me to follow my dreams and this is what I’ve wanted to do since I saw her race for the first time.”

“Alison is an adult and can make her own decisions.” Ashleigh tries to add calmly. “You’re -.”

“19, also an adult.” Amber cuts in with.

“You spent most of the last two weeks lying around in your pyjamas watching Peppa Pig.” Ashleigh dead-panned.

“Okay, I think it’s time for some music.” Alison interjects, turning the radio on loud enough to drown out any other replies.

Amber rests her head on the window, looking out at the passing traffic while one of Alison’s favorite songs - Colourblind by Darius - fills the car.

“Why can’t you just believe in me for once?” Amber asks quietly, not expecting a reply.

**Author's Note:**

> First difference between my Dragons and the of standard D&D is that they don't count in age in years but only decades. You can tell the age of a Dragon by counting how many different segments there are in it's tail, each segment (there's probably a better term for this) represents a decade the Dragon has lived.


End file.
